i was riding tonight and a handful of times when i went to change gears it wouldnt(i have an es o5 rancher), it sounded like it did but didnt. didnt flash any codes,. i continued riding and it was fine except those handful of times. is it possible to over tighten the clutch? any suggestions?

 

If it doesnt want to shift, then the adjustment is too loose. The clutch adjustment is basically this- The dis-engaging mechanism needs a little bit of play in it (the 1/4 turn) for the expasion of metal due to heat, etc. When you adjust this, you take out all the unneccessary slack out of the mechanism. As the clutch plates wear, they get thinner and that puts more slack into the whole assembly. The shift motor only turns so much-until the angle sensor tells it to turn back...So the motor must turn in to remove the slack, and also still be able to turn in far enough to fully disengage the clutch to shift the trans properly. If the clutch doesnt release, the trans wont shift or will have a very hard time doing so. So, If you have too much slack, that will cause the shift motor to turn back before the clutch is disengaged all the way, causing difficulty shifting. if you dont have enough slack in the assembly, then the trans will shift ok but the clutch might not be engaged all the way and could be causing some slipping issues.

with the machine cold, start it up and run it through the gears, 1-5 and then 5-1, then shut it off and do the adjustment. turn the screw out all the way until you feel resistance then go the other way 1/4 turn and hold it here and tighten the locknut. If you still have issues, it might need dealer service.

 

On another note I have been told many times that this is normal on Hondas. But since I bought my 2004 Honda Rancher Brand new. The thing is hard to shift (Usually 3rd, 4th) when you first start it up and take off. After it warms up enough I guess everything is peachy. But sometimes it can be real tough and You have to play with it for a sec or so. It is annoying though.

 

nothing ever needs dealer service. you just need a clymers manual.